1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to methods, apparatus and systems for monitoring and controlling hazardous materials. More particularly, the present invention relates to methods, apparatus and systems for efficiently monitoring and controlling hazardous materials.
2. Description of the Related Art
Microelectronic fabrications are formed from microelectronic substrates over which are formed patterned microelectronic conductor layers which are separated by microelectronic dielectric layers.
Indigenous within the fabrication of microelectronic fabrications, and particularly within the fabrication of semiconductor integrated circuit microelectronic fabrications, is the use of hazardous materials, including hazardous gaseous material, hazardous liquid materials and hazardous solid materials, but particularly hazardous gaseous materials and hazardous liquid materials. Hazardous materials are indigenous within the art of microelectronic fabrication for use when fabricating microelectronic fabrications insofar as many of the fabrication processes employed for fabricating microelectronic fabrications are typically not readily undertaken employing materials other than hazardous materials.
Since hazardous materials are thus generally unavoidable within the art of microelectronic fabrication for use when fabricating microelectronic fabrications, there thus exists within the art of microelectronic fabrication when fabricating microelectronic fabrications various methods, apparatus and systems for monitoring and controlling hazardous materials when fabricating microelectronic fabrications within microelectronic fabrication facilities.
In turn, while various methods, apparatus and systems for monitoring and controlling hazardous materials when fabricating microelectronic fabrications within microelectronic fabrication facilities are thus clearly desirable, unavoidable and required in the art of microelectronic fabrication for use when fabricating microelectronic fabrications within microelectronic fabrication facilities, such methods, apparatus and systems are nonetheless not entirely without problems within the art of microelectronic fabrication for use when fabricating microelectronic fabrications within microelectronic fabrication facilities. In that regard, while such methods, apparatus and system for monitoring and controlling hazardous materials within the art of microelectronic fabrication when fabricating microelectronic fabrications within microelectronic fabrication facilities are in fact operative for monitoring and controlling hazardous materials within the art of microelectronic fabrication when fabricating microelectronic fabrications within microelectronic fabrication facilities, given a typical plurality of hazardous materials that is typically employed when fabricating microelectronic fabrications within microelectronic fabrication facilities, such methods, apparatus and systems are often not optimized to efficiently provide to emergency response personnel pertinent hazardous material information incident to monitoring, controlling and responding to hazardous material emergencies when fabricating microelectronic fabrications within microelectronic fabrication facilities.
It is thus desirable in the art of microelectronic fabrication to provide methods, apparatus and systems that are optimized to efficiently provide to emergency response personnel pertinent hazardous material information incident to monitoring, controlling and responding to hazardous material emergencies when fabricating microelectronic fabrications within microelectronic fabrication facilities.
It is towards the foregoing object that the present invention is directed.
Various methods, apparatus and systems have been disclosed within arts including but not limited to microelectronic fabrication arts for monitoring, controlling and warning of hazardous materials within the arts including but not limited to microelectronic fabrication arts. Included within the methods, apparatus and systems, but not limited with respect to the methods, apparatus and systems are systems disclosed by: (1) David et al., in U.S. Pat. No. 4,866,594 (a hazardous material monitor and control system that employs various types of modules, serving various hazardous materials monitor functions and various hazardous material control functions, where the various types of modules are positioned within various locations within a fabrication facility, such as a microelectronic fabrication facility, for monitoring and controlling a hazardous material within the fabrication facility, such as the microelectronic fabrication facility); and (2) Fleury et al., in U.S. Pat. No. 5,969,623 (a monitor and warning system for monitoring and warning of a dangerous level of an ambient hazardous carbon monoxide gas or a dangerous level of an ambient hazardous methane gas, as may be encountered incident to malfunction of a heating plant within a residential, commercial or industrial facility, where the monitoring and warning system monitors an ambient carbon monoxide concentration and/or an ambient methane concentration and activates an audible and/or visual alarm incident to achieving a pre-determined threshold value of the ambient carbon monoxide concentration and/or the ambient methane concentration).
Desirable in the art of microelectronic fabrication are additional methods, apparatus and systems that may be optimized to efficiently provide to emergency response personnel pertinent hazardous material information incident to monitoring, controlling and responding to hazardous material emergencies when fabricating microelectronic fabrications within microelectronic fabrication facilities.
It is towards the foregoing object that the present invention is directed.
A first object of the present invention is to provide a method for monitoring and controlling a hazardous material and a system for monitoring and controlling the hazardous material.
A second object of the present invention is to provide the method for monitoring and controlling the hazardous material and the system for monitoring and controlling the hazardous material in accord with the first object of the present invention, wherein the hazardous material is efficiently monitored and controlled.
A third object of the present invention is to provide the method for monitoring and controlling the hazardous material and the system for monitoring and controlling the hazardous material in accord with the first object of the present invention and the second object of the present invention, wherein the method for monitoring and controlling the hazardous material and the system for monitoring and controlling the hazardous material are readily commercially implemented.
In accord with the objects of the present invention, there is provided by the present invention a method for monitoring and controlling a hazardous material and a system for monitoring and controlling the hazardous material.
The system in accord with the present invention in a first instance comprises a controller. In addition, the system in accord with the present invention in a second instance comprises a hazardous material sensor in communication with the controller. Further, the system in accord with the present invention in a third instance comprises a user interface also in communication with the controller. Finally, within the system in accord with the present invention, the controller is programmed such that when the hazardous material sensor senses a hazardous material, the user interface provides an output directed towards hazardous material response and control procedures for the hazardous material.
The system for monitoring and controlling the hazardous material in accord with the present invention contemplates a method for monitoring and controlling the hazardous material in accord with the present invention while employing the system for monitoring and controlling the hazardous material in accord with the present invention.
The present invention provides a method for monitoring and controlling a hazardous material and a system for monitoring and controlling the hazardous material, wherein the hazardous material is more efficiently monitored and controlled.
The present invention realizes the foregoing object by employing within a method for monitoring and controlling a hazardous material and a system for monitoring and controlling the hazardous material: (1) a controller; (2) a hazardous material sensor in communication with the controller; and (3) a user interface also in communication with the controller, wherein the controller is programmed such that when the hazardous material sensor senses a hazardous material, the user interface provides an output directed towards hazardous material response and control procedures for the hazardous material.
The method for monitoring and controlling the hazardous material and the system for monitoring and controlling the hazardous material are readily commercially implemented.
As will be illustrated in greater detail within the context of the Description of the Preferred Embodiment, as set forth below, the method for monitoring and controlling the hazardous material in accord with the present invention and the system for monitoring and controlling the hazardous material in accord with the present invention may be implemented employing components as are readily available and readily assembled within facilities including but not limited to microelectronic fabrication facilities, but employed within the context of specific operational limitations which provide at least in part the present invention. Since it is thus at least in part a series of operational limitations which provides at least in part the present invention, rather than the existence or fabrication of components which provides the present invention, the method of the present invention is readily commercially implemented and the system of the present invention is readily commercially implemented.